to be annoyed with teacher for "Practice the words carefully" instruction

[JustDoMyLippyThenWeWillGo]

In dd's spelling book. FFS, am despairing.

ROFL I didn't even know practice could be spelt with an 's' for different purposes!! And I'm an LSA.

Had a right giggle with one of the teachers I work with when last year she made me practice spelling independantly as I spelt it wring everytime Still not sure the correct spelling

apparently can't spell wrong either

Feenie - I couldn't agree more .

It is crucial that a primary school teacher can spell - gosh, I've recently had some issues myself with DD and her 'dyslexic?' YR3&4 teacher.

Most of us of a certain generation were never taught grammar but it isn't hard to find these things out. Likewise, there is a lot about British History that I didn't learn at school and I'm sufficiently embarrassed about that to do something about it by reading/looking stuff up online/watching films about historical events etc.

When you're writing something and you're in doubt, look it up in a dictionary! I teach English but I still sometimes use a dictionary or thesaurus for my own reference and there's nothing shameful in that. Being able to use a dictionary is a basic and useful skill, one that children are often specifically taught in school. I always tell my students to use a real dictionary rather than relying on spellcheck.

Being able to use a dictionary is much more useful than being able to spell! I'm one of those who always has to look up the correct spelling and with pairs like practice/practise and stationary/stationery, I always check which is which. I don't see myself ever really learning the spellings though!

which generation was that then?

My parents learned Gramar (though my mum - like me never "got it"), my grandparents learned grammar, my friends in their 40's and 50's were taught grammar.

Some of us can look things up until we're blue in the face - doesn't mean we'll ever "get it"

Ma, my generation wasn't taught grammar formally, unless we did languages at a high level and learned it like that. I'm 25.

I'm in my early 30s. I think we may have been taught the difference between a noun, verb and adjective but nothing else about grammar specifically. We were also given spellings to learn and weekly spelling tests.

I'm making the same point as you re. dictionaries: use them every time you're in doubt, if necessary. No need to memorise the spellings or rules if it is too difficult for you.

Glad we see eye to eye, EmEyeHi. And nice to see a comment from you towards me which doesn't have to be deleted for a change.

Does anyone else have a theory that ability to recognise correct spelling and grammar relates fairly closely to the amount of reading that an individual does?

There is a laminated notice on a letter box by the school offuce stating that it is for 'diner' money.
If it wasn't laminated, I'd change it!

hands sauvignonblanche a dry wipe pen

Thanks Feenie, can you distract the secretary whilst I change it?

ThatDanmDog - I should be blardy fantastic at it then if that theory is correct as I was a TOTAL book worm when I was a kid (no TV and literally 1000's of books to choose from at home).

By the school offuce? Mistakes can happen easily, point it out as politely and diplomatically if you can.

It's been there too long, it must be a year now. I just stopped going to the school, (as I couldn't stand looking at it) and DH does the school run now.

Don't get it, most members of staff at our school wouldn't be able to stand it!

Give her a break. It's a hard job being a probationer and she won't be "part time". Probationers are given a 0.7 timetable of class contact but attend training and plan for lessons during the time out of class. Teaching is a stressful job with a lot of work going on well after the kids have left. I am sure she knows the difference but typing the insert for spelling was probably one of 100 things to do on her list so a little mistake is forgivable....... It's her first teaching job - don't storm in with a condescending correction of spelling for god's sake

Well, I and many of my colleagues did a PGCE. People shouldn't assume that all primary teachers do BEds. In fact, most teachers I know personally have either done a post grad or a BA QTS. Also, I taught Y6 for many years. It would be completely unacceptable for my standard of academics to be barely above theirs.

I hate, hate, hate the argument that academics don't matter in my job. They absolutely do. My DH is a lawyer with an MBA but he couldn't tell a subordinate clause from a synonym (basic grammar). But, of course, he must be more academic and therefore intelligent than me.

I agree with Wakarimasen, give her a break! My probation year was 6 years ago now but I can still clearly remember the enormous workload - she certainly doesn't work part-time. Most probationers I've known are in school for more hours per day than most other teachers. The probation year is very hard work, and like Wakarimasen says, she probably had 100 things to do. Pointing it out to her would be very demoralising and pretty cruel if you ask me.

In America, practice never has an "s"

I believe that may have been said one or twice on this thread!

OK, I will let it go! Was despairing and demoralised about the state of education and the world, but don't want be upsetting her, or anyone. Thanks all.

DS got his first ever spellings today which said 'practise'

Still can't believe I never knew there were 2 ways to spell it and probably wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for this thread.